Cambridge Town Defences

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Kings Ditch

In the civil parish of Cambridge. In the historic county of Cambridgeshire (Modern Authority of Cambridgeshire, 1974 county of Cambridgeshire).

King's Ditch, boundary and defensive ditch possibly of late pre-Conquest date, re-modelled in C13. The only surface indication is a slightly sunk area in the Fellows Garden [TL45005875] at Sidney Sussex College, west of a scarp running SE from the squash court. The course of the ditch was from the River Cam near Mill Lane, along Pembroke Street, across the site of the old Botanic Gardens, along St. Tibbs Row and Hobson Street, across the Fallows' garden, along Park street, rejoining the river opposite Pepys building of Magdalene College. Late Saxon Pottery was found in 1893 in a substantial ditch on the N side of Mill Lane. It seems highly probable that the Town Ditch was originally designed as a customs barrier rather than a defensive work. There are no surveyable remains of the ditch in the Fellows Garden at Sidney Sussex College, though the lawns are humpy along the line. Excavations on the site of the Red Lion car park (TL450583) located and sectioned the King's Ditch and an area on either side of it. The ditch was U-profiled, 13.0m wide and 4.0m deep exposing the original bedrock. Two, possibly three phases were observed, all apparently of C16-C18 date. There was no surviving evidence at this point of the Medieval or earlier defences and there was no evidence of any bank, palisade or wall. Inside the King's Ditch, a large ditch about 5.0m wide and 3.0m deep was found apparently enclosing a rather smaller, but similar settlement to the king's Ditch. It was associated with Saxo-Norman pottery only and this may be the earliest defence of the settlement. (PastScape)
In February 1267 King Henry himself came from Bury St. Edmunds, and spent the whole of Lent at Cambridge, (John of Oxenedes (Rolls Ser.), 212.) conducting a somewhat half-hearted campaign against the islanders and reorganizing the defences of the town. 'He caused gates to be made and ditches to be dug round the town with great diligence, not allowing the workmen to rest on holy days.' (Lib. Mem. de Bernewelle, 122.) The existing town ditch was deepened and its line may have been altered, for houses were pulled down to make room for it and for an eight-foot wide walk running alongside (Cam, Liberties and Communities, 16–18.). (VCH, 1959)
The ditch was open to the River Cam at either end and also functioned as a, notoriously ineffective, town sewer. Two wooden gates, the Barnwell and Trumpington gates, and the bridge over the Cam, which was also probably gated, controlled access.
The castle (qv) was not on the circuit of the defences.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL44645804

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 371222
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 04652 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p39, 68, 90, 186, 190, 202, 264
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p17
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p41
    Lobel, M.D. (ed), 1975, 'Cambridge' in Lobel, M.D. (ed) The Atlas of Historic Towns Vol2 (London: Scolar Press/Historic Towns Trust) p1-23
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p125
    1971, Department of the Environment Archaeological excavations (HMSO) p68
    RCHME, 1959, An inventory of historical monuments in the City of Cambridge Vol2 (HMSO) p304-6
    Roach, J.P.C. (ed), 1959, VCH Cambridge and the Isle of Ely Vol3 p3 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66604
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p226-7
• Journal Articles
  • Dickens, A. and Cessford, C., 2007, 'Cambridge: historic city centre revealed' Current Archaeology Vol18.4 p22-27, 30-31
    Addyman, P.V. and Biddle, M., 1965, 'Medieval Cambridge: Recent Finds and Excavations.' Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society Vol58 p74-137
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities5.htm]